George Lindemann

George Lyle Lindemann (March 26, 1936 – June 21, 2018)[4] was an American billionaire[1] businessman known for being the chairman and chief executive officer of Southern Union, a pipeline company.[5][6][7][8] He was also the owner of 19 Spanish-language radio stations[6][8] and the vice president of the Metropolitan Opera Association in New York City.[9]

George Lindemann
Born
George Lyle Lindemann[1]

(1936-03-26)March 26, 1936[1]
New York City, US
DiedJune 21, 2018(2018-06-21) (aged 82) [2]
Palm Beach, Florida, US
NationalityAmerican
Alma materWharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
OccupationBusinessman
Net worthUS$3.3 billion[3]
TitleChairman and CEO, Southern Union
Spouse(s)Frayda B. Lindemann
Children3

He ranked #703 on the Forbes 2018 list of the world's billionaires, with a net worth of US$3.3 billion.[10]

Early life and education

George Lindemann was born to a Jewish family[11] in 1936 in New York City.[3] He received a bachelor's degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[3][5][8]

Career

In 1957, Lindemann began his career with his father's business, a cosmetics and hair care company called The Nestle-LeMur.[12] From 1962 to 1972, Lindemann was the president of Smith, Miller and Patch, a pharmaceutical company.[5] He sold Permalens, his family's eye-care company that developed the first permanent-wear soft contact lens, to Cooper Labs for $75 million in 1971.[3] In 1972, Lindemann founded cable TV firm Vision Cable, which he sold a decade later to Samuel Irving Newhouse Jr. and his brother for $220 million. [3][6][7][8]

Shortly after, he founded a cell phone company, Metro Mobile, which he later sold to Bell Atlantic for $2.5 billion in 1991.[3][6][7][8] He then shifted his focus to struggling natural gas pipeline company Southern Union, which he had acquired through Metro Mobile in 1990 for $125 million.[7] He was CEO of Southern Union, and sold it in 2012 to Energy Transfer Equity, for approximately $2.0 billion.[3][6][7][8]

Lindemann owned 19 Spanish-speaking radio stations.[6][8] He was president of Cellular Dynamics and the managing general partner of Activated Communications Limited Partnership beginning in 1982.[5] He was a general partner of Panhandle Eastern.[5] He sat on the board of directors of HI Europe Limited and on the advisory board of Hudson Clean Energy Partners.[5]

According to Forbes 2018 list of the world's billionaires, Lindemann’s net worth was US$3.3 billion.[10]

Philanthropy and political activities

He has made donations to Republican candidates, such as Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ed Royce, Denny Rehberg, and Virginia Foxx.[13] He is a supporter of the Center for Jewish History.[14]

The Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera is named after him and his wife.[15][16][17] The Lindemann family also donated to the Greenwich Hospital Foundation.[18]

Personal life

Lindemann was married to Frayda B. Lindemann[3] who is vice-president on the board of the Metropolitan Opera.[7] They have three children:[3]

  • Adam Marc Lindemann, president of Lindemann Capital, is an art collector, gallerist, columnist for the New York Observer, and a former champion polo player.[7] In 1989, he married Elizabeth Ashley Graham.[19] Her maternal grandfather is Charles R. Denny, former chairman of the FCC.[19] They had three daughters. The Lindemanns divorced, and Adam is now married to Amalia Dayan, the granddaughter of Moshe Dayan. The couple has two daughters.
  • Sloan Lindemann Barnett sits on the board of trustees of the New York University School of Law and runs a natural health products business.[7] She is married to Roger Barnett, CEO of Shaklee, and a son of Victor Barnett and Helaine M. Barnett. They have three children.[20]
  • George Lindemann Jr. is an art collector, investor, and philanthropist in Miami.[7] He served time in prison after being convicted by a jury of insurance fraud.[21][7][22]

Lindemann was the president of the board of directors of the Bass Museum of Art. He lived in Palm Beach, Florida, but sold the house in 2008.[23] He has other homes on the Upper East Side and in Greenwich, Connecticut.[3][6][7][8] As of September 2011, he was the 736th richest person in the world, and the 220th richest in the US, with an estimated wealth of US$2.1 billion.[3] He owned a 180-foot schooner, Adela, which has won international sailing competitions.[7][8] The Lindemanns are members of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.[24]

References
  1. "Billionaires: George Lyle LINDEMANN". Wealth-X. Archived from the original on 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
  2. Cohen, Ian. "Billionaire businessman George Lindemann dies". Palm Beach Daily News. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  3. "Forbes profile: George Lindemann & family". Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  4. Hagerty, James R. (29 June 2018). "George Lindemann Made Bold Investments in Cable TV, Mobile Phones and Pipelines". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  5. "Stocks". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  6. Robert Trigaux, "Florida boasts 10 of world's richest" in St. Petersburg Times, February 28, 2003
  7. Peter Latterman and Michael J. De La Merced, "Natural Gas Bidding War Puts Spotlight on a Billionaire" in The New York Times, June 28, 2011
  8. "Wharton Magazine". Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  9. Cohen, Ian (June 25, 2018). "Billionaire businessman George Lindemann dies". Palm Beach Daily News.
  10. "George Lindemann & family". Forbes. March 6, 2018.
  11. Forbes Israel: Jewish Billionaires – Profile of George Lindemann April 14, 2013 (in Hebrew)
  12. "George Lyle Lindemann Sr. biography". WealthX. 3 January 2017.
  13. "Politics - U.S. Political News, Opinion and Analysis". Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  14. Center for Jewish History Bulletin Archived 2013-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, Fall/Winter 2006
  15. Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Metropolitan Opera
  16. Desk, BWW News (July 13, 2017). "Five Talents Join Metropolitan Opera's Young Artists Development Program". Broadway World.
  17. "Met Opera exec sells Sherry Netherland co-op". The Real Deal New York. 5 February 2019.
  18. "Greenwich Hospital Receives Generous Gift in Honor of Dr. James Brunetti". Greenwich Free Press. November 2, 2019.
  19. The New York Times: "Elizabeth Graham, Graduate Student, Is Married to Adam Marc Lindemann", October 16, 1989
  20. New York University Law Alumni of the Month December 2009: Sloan Lindemann Barnett '93, retrieved May 3, 2013
  21. Mazzei, Patricia (2019-09-08). "The Florida Activist Is 78. The Legal Judgment Against Her Is $4 Million". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  22. "3-Year Term In '90 Killing Of Prize Horse". New York Times. January 19, 1996. Retrieved 2019-09-08.
  23. Janjigian, Robert (April 8, 2008). ""George, Frayda Lindemann sell Blossom Way home; price rumored to be between $70 and $80 million" - By: Robert Janjigian, Palm Beach Daily News | The Corcoran Group". Corcoran.
  24. Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County Honor Roll 2011
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